The house at 52 Pine St. eventually collapsed in the intense flames, and officials said that by Monday evening, they were still trying to locate the woman's body.

The fire was witnessed by Meals On Wheels volunteer Ron Metcalfe, who said he heard the woman call out to him and tried desperately to get into the house to save her.

"I was only in there 30 seconds, and I couldn't breathe," Metcalfe said.

First-responders were also unable to get inside because of the intense flames and smoke.

"Two firefighters went in, and they said they couldn't see a foot in front of them," Metcalfe said.

Metcalfe said he has been bringing the woman lunch for a year and a half and developed a friendship with her. Relatives said the woman has lived in the 1800s-era house for more than 50 years.

"The front room on this side, that's where the dining room is, and this was the living room in the right-hand corner," Metcalfe said, gesturing at the ruins of the house. "She always sat in the chair in the corner, and she'd be watching 'Gunsmoke' about now."

Tankers from nearly a dozen towns were stacked up on Pine Street, hauling water in from Kingston.

"We encountered heavy fire on scene," said Kingston Fire Chief Bill Seaman. "We immediately went to a defensive attack. We do have strong suspicions that we do have somebody inside the building."

Late Monday afternoon, the state fire marshal confirmed that one person was believed dead, but the remains have not been recovered. Neighbors said the woman kept to herself and last year got a small dog, which escaped the fire.